2016 TESLA MODEL S Complaints

The eMMC failure of Tesla Model S/X manufactured from 2012 to mid 2018 has forced Tesla to issue a recall to replace the aforementioned eMMC chip. A failure in that chip means the AC controls stop working, as well as some lightning signals and the rear camera. I experienced the failure before Tesla issued a recall, when my vehicle had ~29000mi. Since the vehicle was not safe to drive, I did the repair myself: I bought an eMMC chip, I took out the Tegra daughterboard from the vehicle and brought it to an specialized electronics shop, they replaced the eMMC chip and I copied the contents of the old memory chip into the new one. Once Tesla offered the recall, they also offered a reimbursement for those who had paid out-of-pocket for this repair through an online form. I filled the online form, uploading invoices for the eMMC chip and the electronics repair shop work, but they denied my reimbursement. Because of that, I feel that Tesla has NOT honored the recall in my case.

I have had to bring the car in for vibration in the front drivers wheel/tire over 3 times in less than 5 years. A part of the suspension was replace once or twice and I was told that I needed several tires replace less than 10,000 miles of wear. The problem has returned again with both vibration and noise, yet I can't get an appointment for 3 weeks after I reported the issue. I can't find any of my receipts for these repairs as they don't communicate in a way that is useful to humans and there is little record of it.

Notes from service center: AC will only work when driving found condenser fans were not turning on, found condenser fan relay melted recommend harness replacement and recheck, harness fixed and ac is working at this time, (Possible ac compressor wear/damage due to high ac pressure and high ramp up speeds. Verified Proper Operation at this time ac works on idle now.

The car sped up automatically after slowing down (when the accelerating padel was release) due to the coming red light, I tried to apply brakes but it did not work, i immediately put the car in parking which stopped the car, I got the error similar to "Could not activate the emergency brake and move the car to the side" I was lucky that there was no one in the front of my car when i happened otherwise it could have resulted into an accident I was able to drive the car after 10 minutes.

I was stopped at a red light, left signal on, when the car suddenly accelerated forward through the intersection in an aggressive 0-60 kind of start. I braked safely and was about to execute a U-turn a minute or two later when the car bolted forward again. There was no traffic other than the car behind me at the light, thankfully. There were no warnings or other signals and the car was not operating in AutoPilot. I reported the incident immediately to Tesla and the car is now out of state in their custody while an escalated investigation is conducted. They have, however, told us that the car is safe to drive and that it is not possible for this to have occurred. They also assert that all sudden acceleration cases to date have been related to AutoPilot and all have been driver error.

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated that the display screen had gone completely blank without warning while driving. The contact was unable to use certain electrical features. The contact then received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting). Despite multiple appointment being made to service the recall, the contact was informed that the parts remained unavailable. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2016 Tesla Model S. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the instrument panel inadvertently turned blank and the defroster became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated he was able to continue to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that they could not repair the vehicle; however, the vehicle memory was reset. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer who informed the contact that they could not assist and advised him to depress an unknown button on the instrument panel to record the time of occurrence whenever the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred shortly after receiving the recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V035000 (Back Over Prevention, Visibility, Exterior Lighting). The contact stated he had not been contacted by the dealer for the recall repair as advised in the recall notification he received. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The drivers seat has a rocking issue. When braking and accelerating the seat rocks forward and backward which Tesla states they do not have a fix for and which their engineers claim is not a safety concern. I had to make a hard stop recently to avoid a collision and almost flew with my whole body into the steering wheel because the seat flung forward so far. I want to bring this to your attention before someone actually gets seriously injured because of this manufacturer turning a blind eye to something they believe is safe. I have never driven a vehicle that has had a seat fling forward when breaking and don’t believe this is safe. Tesla has refused to do any further work after 3 attempts to fix the seat and will not lemon or buyback the vehicle or replace the vehicle or seat. My final course of action would be to bring this to your attention as I believe your agency has the tools, resources, and ability to take on a car manufacturer who chooses blind negligence overt safety of their consumers. If necessary I can provide invoices / repair orders for the seat. They supposedly changed the seat to a new one (which I don’t believe happened), added an extra bolt to the frame, and finally did a test drive check and confirmed it’s a known issue and basically said too bad but another car.

Steering became progressively stiffer over the course of a few days as the steering wheel turned to about 15 degrees. Turning the wheels became erratic, almost causing me to lose control on the highway when changing lanes and entering or exiting the freeway. It felt like there was no power steering. I felt it was unsafe to drive and putting me and others at risk of an accident. I had the car towed to the Tesla dealership and the STEERING I-SHAFT LINK LOWER (1060802-00-B) was replaced. It was completely rusted and stiff. There was no evidence of any lubricant on it. The dealership told me that this was a known issue and said they had replaced it with an improved part that would not fail again. A search for "STEERING I-SHAFT LINK" on the Tesla Motors Club forum (Teslamotorsclub.com) reveals that numerous other Model S cars have had the same problem.

Tesla refuses to refund my repaid related to NHTSA Recall No: 21V-035. I made a repair because of this issue back in March 2021 and soon after a recall notice came out on March 22, 2021 which I received at a later date due to the pandemic. I requested a formal refund but Tesla refuses to process my claim. I am bringing this to your attention as I believe this is unfair and Tesla should be accountable for the defective part they placed in my car. Please let me know if you need additional details or information. I think you in advance for your help. Best, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).